The present invention relates to a coin-operated vending machine for soft drink bottles or cans. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vending machine with increased illumination for sign panels thereof, creative styling for increasing product sales and interactive customer communication functions for inducing higher sales and simplifying the operation of the machine.
In recent years, substantial improvements have been made to vending machines, including increased illumination of sign panels, creative styling in connection therewith, and the inclusion of devices for providing interactive customer communication, all of which are useful in increasing the sales of products to be vended. Examples of these recent developments of vending machines in connection with improved styling are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,130 to Bachmann, et al., issued Apr. 19, 1983, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,768 also to Bachmann, et al., issued Nov. 15, 1983. In the first Bachmann patent, the sign panel on the obverse face of the vending machine is configured in the shape of the first letter or abbreviation of the primary product to be vended, to provide a dominance of the primary product and induce the sales thereof. In the second Bachmann patent, an enlarged, primary product selection button is provided and disposed immediately adjacent to the coin slot of the machine, which also tends to induce and increase the sales of the primary product to be vended. Both of the above patents have been very successful in achieving their objectives of increasing product sales. Both of these patents are assigned to the same assignee as the present invention
An additional advance in the vending machine art is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,670 to Bachmann, et al. , issued June 19, 1984. This patent discloses a plurality of interchangeable utility module devices, all of which provide interactive customer communication, either by way of instructions to the customer with respect to vending machine operation, advertising with respect to products to be vended or video games which involve the customer in the operation and use of the vending machine. These interactive communications are disclosed as being either audio or visual. This patent is also assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
As stated above, these vending machines have been very successful in the marketplace with respect to achieving their objectives. However, there is room for some improvement with respect to these machines in the level and uniformity of illumination of the sign panel, the overall styling, and the provision of adequate space behind the sign panel and obverse face of the vending machine for housing the various devices which provide the interactive customer communication functions.